Israel, much like the fortress of Tel-Chai that Jospeh Trumpeldor fought to defend against Arab conquerors in 1920, finds itself beseiged by enemies both within and without. Terrorists, would-be friends inside and outside Israel, and even bad government officials. Here are the discussions of one proud Zionist resident on the state of the nation and abroad.

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

New chief rabbi David Lau makes racist statements about blacks

Incoming Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau, elected to the post just last week, is already embroiled in his first scandal: A controversial recording of a remark he made on Monday about basketball players surfaced Tuesday, sparking angry responses.

Trying to convince young haredi men to refrain from the increasingly common practice of watching basketball games at neighborhood convenience stores (most haredim do not have television sets at home), the new chief rabbi asked, "Who cares if a bunch of paid 'Cushim' [a colloquial term for black people] in Tel Aviv beat a bunch of paid 'Cushim' in Greece?" [...]

Yesh Atid MK Pnina Tamano-Shata, the first Ethiopian woman to serve in the Knesset, rushed to issue a response Tuesday, saying "[Habayit Hayehudi Chairman Naftali] Bennett was right. The Chief Rabbinate must change. It is unfathomable that a rabbi of his stature would say something so racist."

He's already taken plenty of flak for something so irrelevant to his trivial worries. If he'd just said "who cares if one basketball team beat another?" nobody would have minded. Instead, he pointlessly dragged racial issues into the mess, and now he's explained perfectly why the rabbinate is considered so irrelevant. It's possible he'll apologize, but even if he does, I think he should still resign.

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About me

I'm Avi Green

From Jerusalem, Israel

I was born in Pennsylvania in 1974, and moved to Israel in 1983. I also enjoyed reading a lot of comics when I was young, the first being Fantastic Four. I maintain a strong belief in the public's right to knowledge and accuracy in facts. I like to think of myself as a conservative-style version of Clark Kent. I don't expect to be perfect at the job, but I do my best.